Oxyalkylated dimethylol and trimethylol alkanes



UnitedStates Patent Ofiice 3,290,387 Patented Dec. 6, 1966 3,290,387 OXYALKYLATED DIMETHYLOL AND TRIMETHYLOL ALKANES Claude Bernardy, Geneva, Switzerland, and Marcel Prillieux and Robert Muths Mont-Saint-Aignan, France, assignors to Esso Research and Engineering Company a corporation of Delaware 7 No Drawing. Filed May 7, 1962, Ser. No. 193,011 Claims priority, application France, May 8, 1961,

- 6 Claims. c1. 260615) The present invention concerns novel industrial products, namely oxyalkyl-ate dimethylol and trirnethylol alkanes, which are distinguished by important surface active properties.

The products which are the objects of the present invention may be represented by the general formula:

The products of the present invention are water soluble products with good detergent and wetting properties. They have the further advantage of being biodegradable.

The products of the invention, which are oxyalkylated derivatives of dimethylol alkanes and/ or trimethylol alkanes may be prepared by fixing an alkylene oxide onto the triol or diol or a mixture of the two. This may be efiected in the presence of an acid or alkaline catalyst preferably at temperatures between about 60 C. and about 220 C. The number of molecules of alkylene oxide fixed on the diol or triol is so chosen that the required properties of solubility are obtained.

The trimethylol alkanes may be obtained by the reaction of one molecule of fal-kanol with three molecules of formaldehyde. Synthesis is effected in a single reaction comprising two stages: I

(a) Condensation into dihydroxyaldehyde in the presence of an alkaline agent such as sodium carbonate, lime etc. acting as catalyst:

OH CHzOH RCHz-CHO HCHO RCH--OHO (IJH2OH OH CHzOH R-OHCHO HCHO 2 R--COHO onion (b) Cannizzaros reaction between the hydroxyaldehyde and a third molecule of formaldehyde onion onion R-C-OHO HCHO 110- HCOO- R-o-omOH OHzOH 0112011 These reactions may be carried out by any method known in the art.

It will also be seen that reaction (b) can also take place on the first stage product of reaction (a) which is ROHOHO to give a product of formula CHzOH In the case of long chain aldehydes, the Cannizzaro reaction may be completed by hydrogenation with or without catalyst under pressures up to kg./cm. This eliminates any remaining aldehyde functions and correspondingly improves the hy-droxyl index of the trimethylol alkane.

In particular it has been found that when one starts from long chain aldehydes (number of carbon atoms greater than 7), the above reactions tend to produce a mixture of trimethylol and dime-thylol alkanes, the oxylkyl derivatives of which mixture have good detergent properties. f

The following examples illustrate more clearly the natureof the invention.

EXAMPLE I Ethoxylated trimethylol alkanes and ethoxylated mixtures of diand trimethylol alkanes were prepared from various straight chain aldehydes: heptanal, dodecanal and pentadecanal; and operation was carried out as follows:

The aldehyde dissolved in isopropanol was introduced at 40 C. into a flask containing soda and formaldehyde in solution in isopr-opanol in the following proportions:

Heptanal Dodecanal Pentadecanal Isopropanol, ccs 500 800 300 Formaldehyde, gs (367) 320 320 80 Aldehyde, gs".-. 114 184 60 40% soda, gs 120 30 OH index (mg. KOH/g.)

Aldehyde function/kg. Obtained Theoretical osnnownzomaun 840 954 0 C10H21C(CH2OH)3. 296 682 1, s C13H1G(CH2OH)3- 556 1.2

In the case of the dodecanal, the remaining aldehyde functions were reduced by hydrogenation at 50 kg./cm.

a and 25 C. in the presence of a nickel catalyst. hydroxyl index rose to 446.

These hydroxyl indices show that whereas in the case of the heptanal the product obtained was practically pure trimethylol alkane, the product obtained from dodecanal was a mixture of trimethylol alkane, C H C(CH OH) and dimethylol alkane, C H CH(CH OH) by far the greater proportion probably consisting of the latter.

The triol and the mixture of triol and diol were ethoxylated by fixing 6 to 12 molecules ethylene oxide per molecule of trimethylolalkane at 130 C. in the presence of soda. The detergent properties of these compounds Were determined by measuring:

(21) their wetting power expressed by the concentration in grams/ liter of the product dissolved in water required to produce a wetting time of 100 seconds for a sample of cotton fabric immersed in this solution.

(b) the lowering of surface tension as a function of the concentration of the product dissolved in water and, in particular, the value of the minimum tension which can be obtained and the concentration in grams/ liter necessary to obtain this value.

The following table gives the results obtained:

The

- 4 The mixture of diol and triol obtained had the following properties for each of the aldehyde starting materials:

OH index (mg. of KOI-I/g.)

Aldehyde function/kg. Obtained Theoretical Di and trimethylol octane 516 831 1. 3 Di and trimethylol nonane. 575 771 0.6 Di and trimcthyloldodccane 282 646 1. 8

TABLE I Ethowylated triethylolalkane: Surface tension Number of Concentration Wetting Trimethylolalkane Molecules Value in Required to Powerof Ethylene dynes/cm. Obtain this Concentration Oxide Value (g./l.) (g./l.)

Trimethylolhexane 6 32 1. 0 3. 5 Tri and Dirnethylol Undecane 6 32 O. 5 3.0

Do 12 1.0 5 Hydrogenated Tri and Dimethylol Undccane 6 28 0.4 1. 5 D0 12 29 0.4 3.0 Tri and Dimethylol tetradeeane 6 34 2-3 6.0

This table shows that the best results from the point of view of surface active properties are obtained with the mixture of hydrogenated tri and dimethylolundecane to which 6 molecules of ethylene oxide have been fixed.

EXAMPLE II The same reaction in an isopropanol medium was used for preparing a mixture of di and trimethylol alkanes starting from C C andC aldehydes produced by the oxo process.

TABLE II Ethozylated trimethylolalkane Number of Concentration Wetting Power- Trimethylolalkane Molecules Value in Required to Concentration of Ethylene Dynes/crn. Obtain this (g./l.)

Oxide Value (g./l.)

Di and Trirncthylol Octane 6 29 0. 4 3. 7 Do 12 29 0.5 6. 4 D0 24 29 0. 5 8. 5 Hydrogenated Di and Trirnethylol Octane. 6 28 0.5 1. 0 12 29 0. 5 3. 3 24 30 1. 0 6. 9 Di and Trimethylolnonane 6 28 0.4 1. 1 Di and Trimethyloldodecane 6 31 '2. 0 5. 5 Hydrogenated Di and Trimethyloldodecane. 6 30 1. 0 4. 7

The same method was used in Example I; the reagents were used in the following proportions:

C9 0x0 C 0x0 C Oxo Aldehyde Aldehyde Aldehyde Isopropanol, ccs 1, 000 400' 600 Formaldehyde, 36% gs 1, 000 300 300 Aldehyde, gs. 568 156 175 40% Soda, gs 350 120 120 Duration of reaction in hours 6 6 6 EXAMPLE III of complex formed with barium phosphomolybdate is measured for diflerent contact times.

The following experimental results were obtained:

Percent of Detergent not Destroyed Duration of Contact The above description of the invention has been given only by way of example and is in no way limiting. It is obvious that it may be modified without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. The product formed by condensing a C to C alkanal with formaldehyde in the presence of an alkaline agent to form a mixture of dimethylol and trimethylol alkanes, said mixture being further reacted with a C to C alkylene oxide at a temperature from about 60 to 220 C., said product comprising a mixture of oxyalkylated dimethylol and trimethylol alkanes having the formulae:

wherein R is selected from the group consisting of C to C straight chain and branched chain alkanes, A is a C to C alkylene chain and n, p and q represent whole numbers between 1 and 10.

2. The product as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mixture of dimethylol and trimethylol alkanes is hydrogenated prior to being reacted with the alkylene oxide to reduce residual aldehyde function.

3. The product as claimed in claim 1 wherein said aldehyde is a C aldehyde and said alkylene oxide is ethylene oxide.

4. The product as claimed in claim 1 wherein said alhehyde is a C aldehyde and said alkylene oxide is ethylene oxide.

5. The product as claimed in claim 1 wherein said aldehyde is a C aldehyde and said alkylene oxide is ethylene oxide.

6. The product as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mole ratio of formaldehyde to C to C aldehyde is 3, and the ratio of the moles of alkylene oxide to the moles of dimethylol and trimethylol alkanes is from 6 to 24.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,400,724 5/1946 Walker 260-635 2,706,207 4/1955 Schnell et a1. 260-6l5 FOREIGN PATENTS 861,961 3/1961 Great Britain.

LEON ZITVER, Primary Examiner.

B. HELFIN, H. T. MARS, Assistant Examiners. 

1. THE PRODUCT FORMED BY CONDENSING A C9 TO C15 ALKANAL WITH FORMALDEHYDE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ALKALINE AGENT TO FORM A MIXTURE OF DIMETHYLOL AND TRIMETHYLOL ALKANES, SAID MIXTURE BEING FURTHER REACTED WITH A C2 TO C6 AKYLENE OXIDE AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 60* TO 220*C., SAID PRODUCT COMPRISING A MIXTURE OF OXYALKYLATED DIMETHYLOL AND TRIMETHYLOL ALKANES HAVING THE FORMULAE: 